As Quick as a Photograph
by CharmedSecondsSnippets
Summary: It only took one second that was captured in a grainy photo for their lives to be turned upside down.


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**As Quick as a Photograph**

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To live as a Charmed One descendant was to live within the spotlight. Every move, every action was analyzed and picked apart for the sign of one of them eventually snapped and turned evil.

It didn't matter if they were in the mortal realm or the magical one. They were Halliwells and that was enough.

It made hiding a secret relationship that much harder.

As the children of the forbidden relationship, Wyatt and Chris Halliwell were watched under a firm eye. They were on par of royalty. They carried the prophecy of the Arthurian Legends on their shoulders along with their Charmed one. As their powers grew, so did the society's awe and fear of them.

With numerous eyes around them and loose lips, the brothers found trust in one another and no one else. They knew that the other would betray them like others have in the past. As the world turned their backs on them, they grew closer. It was almost expected that they would find love in each other as well.

At the age of 17 and 15, the brothers found themselves diving into alcoves and alleys to share an intimate moment together.

They should have known that one day it would all blow up in front of them.

It was exposed in an article on a popular magazine that nearly every preteen Wiccan had read. They were eating breakfast peacefully when their aunt came barreling into the room, magazine on hand.

The brothers knew that their game was over.

Their mother's eyes were dark as they looked up them. She slid the magazine towards them. With a grimace, Wyatt looked at the evidence. It was a grainy picture but one could make out their faces as they kissed passionately in an alley beside P3.

Wyatt sighed. Beside him, Chris examined the photo with a frown. The younger man sighed and turned the paper face down. He glanced at Wyatt, his green eyes forlorn. Wyatt shook his head and leaned back. Their parents and aunt looked at them, all of them awaiting an answer.

The brothers had none.

What was showed in the photo was the truth and they weren't going to deny it. Wyatt reached out and took his little brother's hand in his own underneath the table just in case they had to make a quick escape. Both brothers could see their mother's temper begin to rise as she demanded to be told what was going on.

Wyatt merely responded with, "Its pretty clear, Mom."

"Don't be smart with me," PIper snapped, "Where did this photo come from?"

Chris glanced at the magazine, "Pretty sure it was by P3. Not sure."

"Two nights ago in the alley behind P3 by the dumpster," Wyatt said.

The casual tone broke Piper's temper and she lashed out. She screamed and ranted. Both brothers flinched at some of the words yelled. Finally Leo stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. She quieted but her chest was heaving. Their Aunt stood on the sideline, her eyes wide. "Piper, maybe we should-"

"No Phoebe, they're...they're…" Piper's mouth twisted in disgust.

"This," Leo stated, "Whatever this is, is done."

"Dad-"

"No Chris. What you are doing is wrong."

Both brothers watched as Leo stomped up the stairs. They quickly followed and watched as Leo began taking Chris's stuff out of the shared bedroom. "You will sleep in the spare bedroom," Leo said, "You two will not be alone together. You will not take one step into each others bedrooms, is that clear?"

"Dad, you can't-"

"Yes, I can." Leo snapped, "I am your father, and you two are brothers. Nothing more. Brothers. Not lovers."

"Dad, we've been-"

"Enough has been said. Chris, go to the spare bedroom. Stay there. We'll move all of your stuff there. Wyatt, you stay in yours."

With a subdue composure, each brother did as they were told.

The tense silence lasted six days, three hours and fifteen minutes.

The magical community was desperate to know what was going on now that the dirty little secret of the legendary Halliwell Brothers has been revealed. Wyatt and Chris were being submerged by both their kin and the magical world. Death threats and harsh words battered them.

Eventually, they broke. In the midst of the night, they packed their backpacks plump full of clothing and basic provisions. Underneath the moonlight and the sounds of their parents yelling, the brothers ran out of the manor and through the flashes of lights as phones and cameras went off at the horde of magical journalists that have been laying in wait just outside of their front door. Once they reached the street, they stopped and looked at the people they were fleeing from. With a cocky smile, Chris took his brother's face into his hands and kissed him deeply, silently basking in the sharp inhale that seemed to echo around them. Just as he felt Wyatt start to smile against his own, he felt the familiar sensation of orbing.


End file.
